Sindi Dlathu says goodbye to Muvhango

After twenty years of riveting drama of the life and times of the TshiVenda soapie, Muvhango bids farewell to our ace actress, Sindi Dlathu. Dlathu, whose illustrious career in the performance arts spans 24 years with stints behind the scenes of highly revered plays and television productions like Soul City, The Game,Magic at 4am and Khululeka before Muvhango, has decided to take a break from the production.

“Muvhango has been more than a job to me, it has been my life for 20 years and I’ve loved and cherished every single moment of playing Thandaza. After 20 years I’ve decided to give the Thandaza character a break in order for me to grow as an artist, venture out to explore new opportunities and discover what I can do as an actress and as a human being.” – said, Sindi Dlathu.

Thandaza’s character is one which has held the two centres of power. She was the voice of reason between the lines of business and tradition. Introduced by the late Edward Mukwevho to the powerful Mukwevhos when they got married, Thandaza became an enormously celebrated character. Hers came at the time when the black female was a rarity in South African boardrooms. There were advanced talks of implementing female empowerment in the country but it was still a far- fetched theory that only existed in government positions.

“I have cherished every single moment Sindi has been part of the shows I have done and she remains one of the most talented people I have ever worked with. I have loved working with her and was looking forward to watching her continued growth. I wish her nothing but the best as she continues to grow and I have no doubt that she will tackle any role and character that comes her way the same way she has handled Thandaza. I wish her continued success and may God continue to bless her.” – said, Duma ka Ndlovu, Creator and Executive Producer, Muvhango.

That she was young, strong and an unshakable powerhouse meant that she attracted a lot of business conflicts and character trials in her years in the business. This gave her role a lot of colour and inevitably, interest from characters like Doobsie and Mampho. Liteboho also aimed for her head when she wouldn’t budge about her Ranthomeng. She has been through it all, plus three weddings and two children, Vusi and Dakalo.

“It’s not every day that you find such unique talent so committed and so consistent to their work the way Sindi and her character Thandaza has been to Muvhango for the past 20 years. Sindi has without a doubt been one of the major contributors to MUVHANGO’ success over the years and how South African audiences have received, loved and supported her is testament to that. As SABC2, we wish to send Sindi our fondest farewells and express our heartfelt thanks and sincere gratitude for the time, dedication, passion and commitment to not only Muvhango and SABC2 but to the SABC at large. She breathed life to the character of Thandaza with such conviction, believability and grace for 20 years, an outstanding achievement indeed! We wish her well in all her future endeavors.” – Jacqui Hlongwane, Acting General Manager: SABC TV Channels

Sindi continued, “Bhut’ Duma Ndlovu has been a father, a teacher and my guiding light; I am what I am today because of his love, mentorship and support of me as an actress and for that I will forever be grateful. To the whole cast and crew of Muvhango, thank you for everything that you have done for me over the last 20 years. It is not the end of the journey for me as I believe I will always be a part of the Muvhango family.”

Viewers can expect to see her until March next year after a riveting storyline. But according to Muvhango’s associate producer Morishe Matlejoane, the production is not bidding her a permanent farewell but freezing of a character, which means it might not be the last that we see of Thandaza as we know her. This also means that her character will not be recast. Sindi Dlathu will shoot her final scenes until the end of October 2017.